Australian Geological Provinces

The Australian Geological Provinces Database contains descriptions and spatial extents of the fundamental geological elements of the Australian continent and its offshore surrounds.

Province types include sedimentary basins, tectonic provinces such as cratons and orogens, igneous provinces, and metallogenic or mineral provinces. At its simplest, a province may describe a sedimentary basin and its fill (eg, the Sydney Basin). However, provinces may also be defined by a complex history of tectonics, metamorphism, magmatism, or metallogenesis.

Provinces outlines, including their subsurface extent, are compiled at around 1:1 million scale. Descriptions of the provinces include age and geological history, parent-child hierarchy, constituent stratigraphic units, relations to surrounding provinces, and the presence of mineral and petroleum resources.

The ProvExplorer online mapping system enables users to interactively explore Australia's offshore sedimentary basins. (Note: The online mapping system does not currently contain a complete coverage of Australia's continental geological provinces. The picture at right shows the current coverage).